Interesting Facts About Missouri

Missouri Facts, Funny Laws & Silly Stuff

Interesting facts about Missouri should give you something to think about and laugh about. This list of Missouri facts is perfect for helping you plan your road trip with kids.

These Missouri fun facts can be used as trivia questions to stump your family or entertainment to distract the kids during travel on your road trip with kids. Many facts about Missouri presented here are also fun educational opportunities for your children.

Read through these interesting facts about Missouri on your own then present them to your children as you move through the state. Even better, have your children read these Missouri facts and discuss what they find the most interesting and fun during your road trip with kids.

Funny / Strange / Trivia / Interesting Facts about Missouri

What is there to know about Missouri that you don't already know?

You may be surprised at what fun can be found in this state, so let's get to it...

"Show Me"
I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me. If you know you have heard that line somewhere before, you have heard a bit of Missouri history.
Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver was believed to have said this in 1899. This is why Missouri is known as the show me state.

Wow! a leap of faith that was!
Missourians arent scared of moving planes. Captain Berry took a leap from a plane in 1912 and brought the idea of parachuting to the world. This took place in St. Louis.

Worst Tornado
Annapolis, Missouri was the unfortunate setting to be part of the worst tornado to hit the U.S, the Tri-State Tornado. It left a trail close to 234 miles long and killed more than 690 people in just a few hours. Maybe plan your RV trip outside tornado season!

More Famous Natural Disasters
Missouri was also home to the most devastating earthquake in the U.S. It hit New Madrid in 1811 and covered more than a million square miles with its boom. You could feel its shakes a thousand miles away!

Interesting Facts About Missouri

State Name: Missouri

State Abbreviation: MO

State Capital: Jefferson City

Largest City: Kansas City

State population: 5,988,927

Population Rank: #18/50

Area/Size: 69,704.31 square miles

Area/Size Rank: #21/50

Date became a State: August 10, 1821

Number accepted into the Union: #24/50

Residents are called: Missourians

Kansas City Freeways
Of all cities populated with a million residents or more, Kansas City has devoted the most land area to highways. When in a hurry, there should always be a freeway to get you there fast.

Plenty of Fountains and Boulevards
Kansas City is also a leader when it comes to fountains and boulevards. The city devotes more land area to boulevards than Paris. Only Rome tops the city when it comes to the number of fountains in operation.

Some French History
Missouri came into the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. It was purchased from France and named the Missouri Territory.

One Unlucky Building
If you could be any building in the world, do not pick the Capital building in Jefferson City. This structure burned to the ground in 1837 and its replacement was met with the same fate in 1911.

Missouri Indians
The state was given its name from the Missouri Indian tribe. Missouri means town of large canoes.

Buy Your Next Pet from the Lost Dogs Home
Missouri may have more puppy mills than any other state. Anyone looking for a pet?

Yummy Pancakes
You can thank St. Joseph, Missouri for those fluffy pancakes you wake up to on Saturday morning. This was the hometown of the very first self-rising pancake mix: Aunt Jemima.

Missouri Facts: Silly Missouri Laws

That's enough of the facts, but what about laws that you may need to watch out for?

These laws aren't in practice today, but they could be since they still sit on the books...

Where to Dry your Clothes?
Watch where you dry your undies in Columbia, Missouri. Clotheslines are forbidden in the city, but fence posts work just as well.

Is this even Possible?
Learn to smoke a pipe properly before doing so in this state. Inhaling through the ear may be enough to land you in jail.

Cap Guns are Out
Kansas City kids are forbidden from playing with cap guns. Since state law requires them to be 18 to purchase real firearms, they have to use their fingers and make believe.

Interesting Facts About Missouri

State Motto: "The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law"

State Nickname: The Show Me State

State Bird: Bluebird

State Flower: White hawthorn

State Tree: Flowering dogwood

Drink in a Bar
Keep your beer in the bottle and your butt at the bar. If you decide to drink beer from a bucket with your butt on the curb of a St. Louis street, you may soon find your butt locked up in the pokey.

That is Weird!
Clam chowder is delicious, but it cannot be enjoyed between 11:50 and 12:48 on Sunday.

Missouri is Best Known For...

If you're tired of reading interesting facts about Missouri and are ready to start exploring, the end of the road has finally arrived. If, on the other hand, you just can't get enough Missouri facts,
there are just a few more interesting facts about Missouri to consider.

Missouri is known for the St. Louis Arch, St. Louis Oriels, corn and wheat farms. You may also recognize these people who were all born right here: